Study Finds Little Consistency in 'Tech Prep' Efforts

"Tech prep'' programs are still in an embryonic phase of development
and need to form a clearer vision of what student populations they will
serve and how they will serve them, a new study concludes.

There is "little consistency in purpose, design, or curriculum [for
tech-prep programs] across states and often within states,'' notes the
report, which was released this month by the National Center for
Research in Vocational Education.

Tech-prep programs link the last two years of high school with two
or more years of postsecondary training and apprenticeships. The
programs, which generally target non-college-bound students, emphasize
applied mathematics, science, communications, and technology coursework
and lead to an associate's degree or certificate in a specific
field.

Under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology
Education Act, Congress appropriated $104 million in fiscal 1993 for
states to develop tech-prep programs.

The report was written by five researchers at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University and released by the vocational-research
center, which is based at the University of California at Berkeley.

The researchers surveyed 228 tech-prep programs at 200 separate
institutions in the summer of 1991 and conducted more in-depth case
studies at 12 institutions.

The study argues that much of the framework of the programs remains
unclear, with such issues as what populations of students will be
targeted by the programs--in particular, to what degree at-risk
students will be involved--still to be settled.

Another question is whether the programs will emphasize skills for
high-technology fields or "less sophisticated 'mid-tech' or
'low-tech''' jobs, the report suggests.

"Tech prep as an operational reality is just beginning to emerge,''
the study notes, adding that the "seamless path'' between high school
and postsecondary training envisioned for tech-prep programs "is not
yet a reality for most.''

At-Risk Efforts Urged

Among the study's findings:

Many of the programs are relatively young, with roughly half
having been launched between 1989 and 1991.

The 120 programs in operation for one year or more at the time of
the study enrolled some 30,000 secondary and 4,200 postsecondary
students.

Slightly more than half of the programs were "2 + 2'' programs,
which include two years of high school and two years of postsecondary
study, while only 12 percent were "2 + 2 + 2'' programs, which
include four years of postsecondary study and lead to a bachelor's
degree.

However, the researchers speculated that in the future, more
programs will be linked to four-year colleges and universities.

Only a third of the 120 programs in operation for one year or
more reported having special activities for at-risk students.

The study is especially critical of the lack of attention paid to
at-risk students. Programs should be "broadened beyond the scope of the
academically able student to accommodate a much higher percentage of
the at-risk population,'' it urges.

In only a few of the institutions and consortia studied, the study
found, were the new tech-prep programs linked with existing school
services and personnel for at-risk students.

Moreover, few programs served special-needs populations, in
particular non-English-speaking students, the report says.

The institutions that had made greater efforts to include at-risk
populations did so because of local "priorities and interests'' rathe
than federal tech-prep legislation or leadership, the researchers
concluded.

'Troubling' Lack of Training

The study also cites a paucity of systematic
professional-development activities to support the initiatives.

"This absence of an essential component is troubling,'' the study's
authors write. "The history of failed reforms or change initiatives
attributable to inadequate preparation and training of the operational
personnel involved is too clear. This component must be included.''

The researchers conclude that the most significant outcome of the
still evolving tech-prep programs to date is the relationships that
have been formed between participating precollegiate and
higher-education institutions.

"Insuring the continuation of this relationship through formal
professional-development activities and continued opportunities for
informal exchange may be a critical ingredient in the success or
failure of tech-prep programs at the operational level,'' the report
says.

Copies of the study are available for $5 each from the National
Center for Research in Vocational Education, Materials Distribution
Service, Western Illinois University, 46 Horrabin Hall, Macomb, Ill.
61455; (800) 637-7652.

Vol. 12, Issue 25, Page 17

Published in Print: March 17, 1993, as Study Finds Little Consistency in 'Tech Prep' Efforts

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